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Impact on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Analysis of institutional authors

Fernandez-Cosialsa, KCorresponding AuthorQueral, CAuthor

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December 13, 2021
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Time assessment of instrumentation survivability and severe accident guidelines application

Publicated to: NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND DESIGN. 386 111559- - 2022-01-01 386(), DOI: 10.1016/j.nucengdes.2021.111559

Authors:

Fernandez-Cosialsa, Kevin; Queral, Cesar; Sanchez-Perea, Miguel; Robledo, Fernando
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Affiliations

Spanish Nucl Safety Council, Pedro Justo Dorado St, Madrid 28040, Spain - Author
Univ Politecn Madrid, Alenza 4 St, Madrid 2803, Spain - Author

Abstract

The Instrumentation performance during a Severe Accident (SA) is currently one of the key identified gaps in Nuclear Safety. The instrumentation is licensed using the pressure and temperature reached during a design basis accident, but SA phenomena are not considered on its design limits. During a SA, it is likely that the pressure or temperature range of the instrumentation is exceeded, and therefore, their measurements may not be reliable throughout the remaining accident development. As those measurements may be used to mitigate the consequences of the SA, its correct use or interpretation can make a difference in the accident management. For this reason, a methodology for instrumentation survival and assessment is proposed. It consists of the identification of the mitigation actions to perform together with the parameters that trigger its start and the instrumentation required for its development. The damage condition of the instruments is assessed in a continuous manner during the accident, rather than a binary state (function/not function). In this sense, a MELCOR computational simulation of a short-term SBO sequence in a 3 loop Westinghouse PWR with a large dry containment is used as an example. It takes into account the possible degradation of the instrumentation due to pressure-temperature increases. Then, the conditions of pressure, temperature and humidity are used to estimate the instrumentation survivability during this accident. The best instrumentation option for a specific variable of interest is assessed for all SA guidelines, together with the level of hazard associated with them. This methodology is applicable to other sequences to show the reliability of measurements and actions. Depending on the instrument availability, different alternatives are suggested that can be considered to manage the accidental sequence.
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Keywords

Good health and well-beingInstrumentation survivabilityMelcorSevere accident guidelinesStation blackoutSystem

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND DESIGN due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency Scopus (SJR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2022, it was in position , thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Mechanical Engineering.

From a relative perspective, and based on the normalized impact indicator calculated from World Citations provided by WoS (ESI, Clarivate), it yields a value for the citation normalization relative to the expected citation rate of: 1.15. This indicates that, compared to works in the same discipline and in the same year of publication, it ranks as a work cited above average. (source consulted: ESI Nov 13, 2025)

Specifically, and according to different indexing agencies, this work has accumulated citations as of 2026-04-26, the following number of citations:

  • WoS: 6
  • Scopus: 6
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Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2026-04-26:

  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 7 (PlumX).

It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

  • Assignment of a Handle/URN as an identifier within the deposit in the Institutional Repository: https://oa.upm.es/93028/

As a result of the publication of the work in the institutional repository, statistical usage data has been obtained that reflects its impact. In terms of dissemination, we can state that, as of

  • Views: 37
  • Downloads: 28
Continuing with the social impact of the work, it is important to emphasize that, due to its content, it can be assigned to the area of interest of ODS 3 - Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, with a probability of 79% according to the mBERT algorithm developed by Aurora University.
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Leadership analysis of institutional authors

There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (FERNÁNDEZ COSIALS, MIKEL KEVIN) .

the author responsible for correspondence tasks has been FERNÁNDEZ COSIALS, MIKEL KEVIN.

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Project objectives

La aportación persigue los siguientes objetivos: analizar el desempeño de la instrumentación durante un accidente severo considerando condiciones de presión y temperatura superiores a las de diseño; proponer una metodología para evaluar la supervivencia y el estado continuo de los instrumentos a lo largo del accidente; identificar las acciones de mitigación y los parámetros que activan su inicio, así como la instrumentación necesaria para su desarrollo; estimar la supervivencia de la instrumentación mediante simulaciones computacionales MELCOR aplicadas a una secuencia de apagón prolongado en un reactor PWR Westinghouse; evaluar la opción óptima de instrumentación para variables específicas en todas las guías de accidentes severos y el nivel de riesgo asociado; y sugerir alternativas de gestión basadas en la disponibilidad de instrumentos para mejorar la fiabilidad en la gestión del accidente.
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Most relevant results

El estudio presenta una metodología para evaluar la supervivencia de la instrumentación durante accidentes graves (SA) en reactores nucleares, abordando una brecha clave en seguridad nuclear. Los resultados más relevantes son: se propone una evaluación continua del estado de la instrumentación basada en condiciones de presión, temperatura y humedad, en lugar de un estado binario; se utiliza una simulación MELCOR de una secuencia corta de pérdida de alimentación (SBO) en un reactor PWR Westinghouse de 3 circuitos con contención seca para validar la metodología; se identifica la instrumentación óptima para variables críticas en todas las guías de mitigación de SA; y se sugieren alternativas según la disponibilidad de instrumentos para mejorar la gestión del accidente.
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